Hell freezes over – Janssen scores, Devils win

Posted on November 8, 2013 by hasan4978

What does Kirk Gibson‘s famous World Series home run have to do with tonight’s game?  Just listen to the calls – ‘I don’t believe what I just saw!’ from Jack Buck…and Vin Scully‘s ‘The impossible has happened!’.  More or less those were my exact emotions tonight when during a rare Devils win, an even rarer occurence happened after Cam Janssen of all people deflected an Adam Larsson shot past Ray Emery for only his fourth NHL goal (second as a Devil).  Janssen’s and his teammates’ collective reaction make the goal itself worth a video of the day tomorrow whenever DevilsPR or the NHL puts it up on YouTube.  Somewhat surprisingly Janssen was recalled when the Devils waived Rostislav Olesz earlier this week and sent him down to Albany.  While I don’t believe even Lou Lamoriello had this in mind when he made that move, Janssen’s goal was an uplifting moment that was much needed after two dreadful losses had put the Devils right back into the malaise they’ve been in the last few months.

Tonight’s win gave me no illusions over where the Devils are…it was one bad team beating another bad team that was getting the crap booed out of it at home.  Just like when the Flyers beat us on Saturday, though our boos weren’t anywhere near this vociferous.  Even Steve Cangelosi and Chico Resch got caught up in the Flyer fans’ misery, pausing for a moment to let the audience hear the boos at the end of the second period.  So much for the Flyers’ 1-0 win against us turning around their season, eh?  After Derek fave Manny Maholtra beat them in OT the other night down in Carolina, the Flyers returned home for the first time since their embarassing display against the Caps and promply laid another egg.  Ironically, Martin Brodeur‘s 122nd career shutout was rendered secondary by Janssen’s goal (which finally put him ahead of Marty in career tallies).

With the Devils being the Devils though they couldn’t even get through this game without some bad news, when Eric Gelinas (whose rocket created the opening goal in the first period) blocked a Scott Hartnell shot and had to leave the game in the third period.  His status for tomorrow’s game in Toronto is uncertain, but without him coach Pete DeBoer will have to abandon his lefty-righty rotation for a night and play a fourth righty in Mark Fayne – scratched tonight in favor of the returning Peter Harrold.  You need to have a chart to keep track of the lineup comings and goings.  Patrik Elias is still out with back spasms or whatever issue’s caused him to miss four straight games including tomorrow.  Travis Zajac and Harrold did return tonight, and of course DeBoer couldn’t wait to restore Harrold to the lineup at the expense of Fayne, who’s been sufficiently ruined to such a degree I no longer care whether he plays or not.  I don’t see why Harrold has to constantly get immunity for everything but it is what it is at this point.  Bryce Salvador‘s still hurt and Ryane Clowe is supposedly feeling better but there’s no timetable yet for his return.

This win was nice – punctuated by Andrei Meszaros giving away the puck to ex-Flyer Jaromir Jagr for an empty-netter – but tomorrow’s game in Toronto could be a severe reality check with the Leafs playing well.  Toronto-Devils is a CORSI believer’s nightmare since the Leafs constantly get outshot and win, while we hardly ever produce anything with our massive shot totals.  When Janssen actually helps the offense you know you’re bad off, but hey at least Janssen has more goals than Flyer ‘captain’ Claude Giroux – once erroneously called the best player in the world by ex-coach Peter Laviolette.  If he was, Laviolette wouldn’t be out of a job although the Flyers may be on their third coach by the time we play them again at this rate.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Game Review: Rangers Ice Penguins

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Derek
Brian Boyle celebrates his first goal with Brad Richards. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Brian Boyle celebrates his first goal with Brad Richards.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

If ever there was a litmus test, the Rangers passed it last night defeating the Penguins 5-1 at Madison Square Garden. It was important for this team to beat a good team. Pittsburgh entered on a four-game win streak leading the Metro Division with an 11-4-0 record. Boasting the game’s best player Sidney Crosby headlining a vaunted offense even without James Neal, they were looking to continue their recent dominance against us.

Instead, the Rangers had other ideas. For the second time this season, they put up five on an opponent. Big difference when you do it against the Pens on Rivalry Night. Even with NBC Sports Network hyping the classic Patrick rivalry, it still was a game they needed. Especially coming off the 2-1 Duck disappointment. It allowed them to post a winning home stand. If you include the Islander win, that’s four of their last five. The common denominator has been improved goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist made some key saves early setting the tone. He finished with 28 altogether- making it the eighth consecutive game a Ranger goalie has allowed two or less. The team is 5-3-0 during that stretch. They’ve rebounded nicely raising their record to 7-8-0 inching within second place Washington and the third place Islanders.

All three are in action tonight including the Rangers’ first game against the Blue Jackets. It’s a back-to-back on the road against familiar faces Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Marian Gaborik and Fedor Tyutin. Following realignment, Rangers Ohio is now part of the same division. They’ve had their struggles dropping four straight entering tonight. They’re not scoring much. During a back-to-back against the Pens, they scored two goals and were shutout. The struggling Sens held them to one goal the other night. They bring a 5-9-0 record in and should be plenty motivated.

For the Blueshirts, it’s a chance to keep a new rival down and at the same time, get back to .500. Something that’s felt like a long mountain climb after the poor start. They haven’t been .500 since Oct. 7 after posting a 3-1 win over the Kings the second game of the season. That was with Rick Nash. He’s been out since Game 3 with a concussion that looks to be a long-term injury. Since getting Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan back, their play has improved. It was on display at MSG yesterday.

After Lundqvist held them in following a shaky start, the Rangers scored twice in the last two minutes of the first period. Brian Boyle set up Ryan McDonagh’s third with 1:52 left. Boyle forced a Pens turnover behind the net and made a nice backhand pass to McDonagh in front, who beat Marc-Andre Fleury. It was part of a big night for Boyle, who was our best forward. With under a minute remaining, a sloppy Pittsburgh turnover in the neutral zone led to Derek Stepan increasing the lead to two. A strong effort from Mats Zuccarello on the backcheck turned over the puck. Chris Kreider and Zuke combined to set up Stepan, who retrieved a loose puck and beat Fleury at 19:13. He caught him leaning on a mini-break. A huge goal.

Being that it was my first game of the season, I walked around and semi toured the Chase Bridges. Predictably, the security wouldn’t let fans all the way in.  Aye. It was still great. I’ll put up some pics later. We sit in Section 419. Our seats are the second to last row. So, it’s an obstructed view minus the new scoreboard. I don’t care. As long as we’re there with the old 411 gang, it’s all gravy. You can’t beat the atmosphere. I’m not sure I can say the same for the rest of the arena. The Blue Seats are where it’s at. The building doesn’t make as much noise. I know there are plenty of diehards who still go. The new Garden looks great. It’s a lot better up top. The fan experience is much improved. Between the food choices, beautiful views of the ice and retired Knicks and Rangers numbers along with the banners, it’s excellent. Of course, it’s more crowded now that it’s completed. But I have no complaints. It was a bit odd getting back to my seat. I somehow wound up a level downstairs and walked back up. An interesting 15-minute journey. I still made it back in time and stood for the second.

For a second straight game, the officiating kind of sucked for both sides. They missed some obvious ones while inventing make up calls. It didn’t matter much. The Pens were skating in quicksand. With the exception of Crosby, they were completely outworked. They still got some quality chances on Lundqvist because of how explosive they are. I forgot to mention earlier that Ryan Callahan bailed Hank out. A Matt Niskanen shot took a funny hop and went through Lundqvist. It was headed in before a hustling Callahan pushed it out of harm’s way. The intangibles he brings to the table are why he’s such a great leader. That hard work would get rewarded later. Before our first two goals, Craig Adams also hit the post. That’s the thing about hockey. A couple of bounces and it could easily have gone the other way.

Leading by two, Boyle finally scored his first. Ironically, I sent out this tweet right before he put one past Fleury.

https://twitter.com/NewYorkPuck/status/398268162019713024

Occasionally, I get one right. I was rooting for Boyle to get one. He’s been one of their most consistent forwards so far. His goal came off a nice set up from Brad Richards and Anton Stralman. Following another Pens turnover, they won the board battle with Richards finding Boyle alone in the slot. He went stick side on Fleury making it 3-0. Any thoughts of a shutout were erased following a Benoit Pouliot minor for closing his hand on the puck. We thought the Pens were getting the penalty after Pouliot was taken down. Instead, the Pens cashed in on the power play with Kris Letang finishing one off a mad scramble. Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin drew assists. Outside of that, Malkin was invisible. At least Crosby competed. Of course, the Pens had some support. But they didn’t have much to cheer about.

Before they got any momentum, a Carl Hagelin turnaround shot was double deflected by Richards and Callahan beating Fleury to restore a 3-goal lead 1:04 later. A huge goal by a clutch player. As usual, the Pens showed frustration. Kunitz decided to pick on Zuccarello. Because who wouldn’t mix it up with our smallest guy? Give Zuke credit. He’s feisty and went right back at Kunitz, who got an extra for cross checking. If the power play weren’t so cute, maybe they would’ve scored. Sometimes, they get too fancy at home. That happens throughout the league. Make the simple play over being fancy. It’s not like they didn’t have opportunities to shoot before Callahan was whistled for a dubious goaltender interference. He was shoved in by Brooks Orpik.

None of it mattered when Derek Dorsett got to a loose puck behind the Pittsburgh net and fed Derick Brassard for his third. That made it 5-1 with 10:03 left. Dorsett has quietly played well. He’s hustled and been effective finishing checks. He had a late scrap with Tanner Glass when the Pens were mad with Kreider. Crosby basically followed him up the ice. Who knows why? Pretty childish. That’s who they are. Sore losers.

Overall, it was a sound effort. Lundqvist made the big stops and we had five different scorers. A sharp contrast from when Nash first went down. The team can definitely still improve. Win tonight and that could be the start of something big.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Mats Zuccarello, NYR (assist, 3 SOG, +1 in 16:22-Zuke doesn’t take crap from no one)

2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (28 saves including 12/12 in 1st)

1st Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (1st of season, assist, 4 hits, 2 blocked shots, 6 for 11 on draws, +2 in 12:29)

Posted in NY Rangers | Leave a comment

Jason Arnott officially retires

Posted on November 6, 2013 by hasan4978

Arnott’s double-OT Stanley Cup winner in 2000

More than thirteen years after his Stanley-Cup winning goal in Dallas, Jason Arnott officially retired from the NHL yesterday after nineteen seasons in the league.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped me throughout my NHL career, including my family, friends, teammates and fans,” Arnott said in a release announcing his retirement put out by the NHL Players’ Association. “Playing in the NHL was my dream, and I am very proud and appreciative of the fact I was able to play at the highest level for 19 years, with the best players in the world. Each of the teams I played for provided me with great experiences and memories, and our Stanley Cup team in New Jersey certainly stands out among all of them.”

Amazingly, Arnott’s the first member of the A-line to officially step away from hockey.  Petr Sykora probably won’t be back in the NHL but he’s still kicking around overseas after a feel-good 20-goal season in 2011-12 back in New Jersey, while Patrik Elias is still one of the team’s top players and signed through the next three years.  It was Arnott (the A part of the A-line) who was the big, physical center between the two on one of the best – if not the best – lines in Devils history between 1999-2002.

Arnott began his career in Edmonton, a first-round pick of the Oilers in 1993 (7th overall).  His career in Edmonton was up-and-down, beginning with a splash with 68 points in his rookie season, finishing second in the Calder voting to some kid named Brodeur in New Jersey.  Although he maintained a solid level of production his first four years, he never was able to match his spectacular 33-goal season as a rookie with the Oilers, and was eventually dealt out of Edmonton – going to the Devils with defenseman Bryan Muir in exchange for ’95 Cup winners Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin.

After a slow start in ’98 with the Devils, Arnott picked it up when then-coach Robbie Ftorek put him in between Czech-mates Elias and Sykora, and that line proved to be instant chemistry.  They would become the Devils’ top line for the better part of four seasons.  Arnott’s numbers were modest for most of his tenure here, but the line’s production was far more than modest – and the big centerman had a terrific playoff run in 2000, with eight goals and twenty points culminating in his double-OT goal in Game 6 that clinched the Stanley Cup, off a one-timer from a no-look pass by Elias.  Arnott’s goal was a seminal moment for the line, as fellow linemate Sykora had been forced to leave the game after being drilled by Derian Hatcher in the first period, and fellow A-line member Elias brought Sykora’s jersey onto the ice during the postgame celebration.

History proved things would only go downhill after that for two-thirds of the A-line, although Arnott ripped off 55 points in 54 games (his best individual production here) and the Devils were a dominant team in ’00-01 once Arnott and Scott Niedermayer‘s contract issues were resolved after each held out for twenty games.  However, the playoffs were a roller-coaster.  Arnott did have eight goals and fifteen points in 23 games, but missed two games in the Cup Finals after being struck in the head with a puck.  Even the A-line couldn’t overcome a star-studded, hungrier Colorado team in Games 6 and 7 of the Finals though.  With the Devils stuck in the mud for most of 2001-02, eventually big changes would be made, and one of them was shipping Arnott and long-time Devil Randy McKay to Dallas for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner.

While the trade helped the Devils to another championship in 2003, Arnott had two solid years in Dallas followed by a brilliant 32-goal, 76-point season in 2005-06 coming off a year-long lockout.  After that season, Arnott left Dallas as a free agent to go to Nashville, where he had four more solid seasons – putting up 72 points in ’07-08 and 33 goals in ’08-09…but in seven full seasons with the Stars and Predators he only got out of the first round of the playoffs once.  With Nashville retooling and Arnott a step slower it cleared the way for a return to the Devils in ’10-11 when we traded Matt Halischuk and a 2nd-round pick to make that reunion happen.

Unfortunately his second tenure wasn’t as successful as his first as he and the team both struggled, though eventually Arnott was dealt out of New Jersey to Washington where he was rejuvanated for a time, with 13 points in 20 games (regular season and playoffs combined)…but the Caps’ second-round loss ended his season.  Arnott went to St. Louis for one final campaign in ’11-12, and attempted a comeback post-lockout last year when he signed with the Rangers, but failed a physical.

For his career, Arnott played 1244 regular season games with 417 goals, 521 assists and 1,242 penalty minutes.  He played 122 playoff games and had 32 goals, 41 assists and 76 PIM’s.  Of course Devil fans will always look back at one goal in particular, and the time he spent between Elias and Sykora when they were a dominant force as a line.  Despite everything that happened with Arnott here afterward, and everything going on with the team now, nobody can take that memory away – or the name etched in silver on the Stanley Cup.

Posted in Devils, NHL | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Listen to New York Puck Live

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Derek

Starting tonight, New York Puck Live debuted on the Hard Hits Network. Since it was the inaugural show, it was just yours truly Derek “Flex” Felix hosting the one-hour hockey show about the Battle Of New York. I was joined by Justin “JNF” Felix as we broke down a tough Rangers’ 2-1 loss to the Ducks at MSG.

The show which includes a traditional overtime segment will air from 11 EST till midnight every Monday and Saturday. You can catch us live discussing the coolest sport or check out the show archive. Don’t forget. The archive includes OVERTIIIIIIIIIIMMEEE! 😉 As legendary Buffalo Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret would echo.

NY Puck covers the Rangers, Devils, Islanders, Sabres and the league happenings. We try to give everything its fair share. Tonight’s debut mostly centered around the Rangers. However, Justin and I also discussed the recent Devil struggles along with our thoughts on the blockbuster trade that sent ex-Sabre Thomas Vanek to the Islanders for Matt Moulson, a 2014 first round pick and a 2015 second round pick. Plus I had some thoughts on the Ray Emery debacle. Please click on the link below for the show replay:

HARD HITS NETWORK: NYPL110513

Posted in Battle News | Leave a comment

Duck Hunted: Ducks end Rangers 3-game win streak

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Derek
Mike Del Zotto and Carl Hagelin celebrate his first goal of the season. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Mike Del Zotto and Carl Hagelin celebrate his first goal of the season.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Instead of being the hunters, the Rangers were Duck hunted literally. A month after suffering a 6-0 humiliation, they fell for the second time to a cheap Anaheim team. This time by the count of 2-1 at The Garden. It ended a three-game win streak.

This one is pretty simple. Two sloppy turnovers came back to hurt them. Simply put, the Ducks took advantage of two costly mistakes in the first period. That’s what good teams do. It is frustrating for several reasons. Anaheim was without Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Jakob Silfverberg. With Viktor Fasth also hurt, it was third stringer Frederik Andersen who held the Rangers to one goal. He was good making 32 saves. The problem is our team has a history of turning no names into Vezina caliber. It’s maddening.

Equally as baffling was the officiating of Dennis LaRue and partner Rob Martell. To sum it up, brutal. This is easily one of the worst refereed games I’ve seen in quite some time. Normally, I don’t blame refs. But the incompetence at 33rd and Seventh was enough to make one wonder if they had somewhere else to be. Among the missed calls were a Ducks bench minor and two blatant cheap shots on Derek Stepan without the puck. In what world were they? It’s bad enough the puck hit an Anaheim player and then they scored thanks to Derick Brassard’s stupidity along with sloppy coverage from Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. The two hits on Stepan were penalties. Each he was nailed up high from the blindside. He complained on both.

There were other mystifying non-calls on Ducks tackling our guys. Of course, they gave them a make up call sending Ryan Getzlaf to the box for a love tap. It was too little too late. The Ranger power play couldn’t take advantage of a 10 second five on three. Alain Vigneault didn’t do a good job late either pulling Henrik Lundqvist with 35 seconds left on a five on four with about 1:35 left. He waited too long. It was painfully obvious to everyone else that they struggled to beat Andersen. Shots were difficult to get through against a stingy Anaheim D that blocked 20 shots including a game high six from Cam Fowler. Yep. That guy.

Pulling Hank for a full 2-man prior to the cheesy Getzlaf call might’ve made the difference. Instead, Benoit Pouliot took a lazy hi-sticking penalty negating the power play and then the Rangers self destructed. Desperate to get Lundqvist off, they made a horrible change sending the skater on way before he could get to the bench. Just lousy execution. If you want to blame the coaching staff, be my guest. I thought the days of undisciplined bench minors were over. Maybe they can blame Tort.

This is easily the most frustrating loss of the year. Sure. They tried hard to rally with Mike Del Zotto scoring his first late in the second to get the crowd back in it. Del Zotto was superb in 26 shifts pushing the offense every chance he could. He’s definitely come on after a miserable start. He has points in three of the last four games. I’m liking how active he’s been. It’s a welcome change that hopefully will continue. They need him.

Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider had strong games. For the third time in four games, Hagelin picked up a point helping set up Del Zotto’s goal with some scrappy play in front. His shot rebounded out to Del Zotto, who made no mistake. Ryan Callahan got an assist in his return and got better as the game went on. Fittingly, he took 24 shifts. Identical to his number and had six hits. The captain always comes to play. But they lost. Blame Cally. 😛 Seriously, what the heck is Taylor Pyatt still doing on the roster?

Brad Richards was miserable. It was his turnover that led directly to Jersey kid Kyle Palmieri burying one off the post past Lundqvist for the game-winner. I’m not going to rip Richie. He’s been good. It just wasn’t his night. Still, sloppy turnovers like the one Brassard had and Richards can’t be tolerated. Opportunistic teams capitalize. The Ducks made it stand up by trapping the hell out of the Rangers the rest of the game and taking cheap runs at our players.

One final thought. It’s unacceptable that no one stood up for Stepan. Twice, he got nailed. When do the Rangers ever stand up for themselves? Enough’s enough! You have Brandon Mashinter on the bench all night. The least you can do is send him out and pound someone. Ironically, Palmieri was the guilty party. McDonagh’s double hit sequence on Corey Perry was nice at the end of the second. How did the Ducks respond? By punching McDonagh. Somehow, they didn’t receive a penalty. Another missed call. But there’s a big difference. Even if they were sent to the box, they had their teammate’s back.

If the Rangers intend to be a good team, they can’t be pansies.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Mike Del Zotto, NYR (1st of season, 2 SOG, 2 hits, takeaway, blocked shot in 20:36)

2nd Star-Dustin Penner, Ana (assist, 6 shots, 2 hits, 4 for 4 on draws-size was noticeable)

1st Star-Francois Beauchemin, Ana (assist, blocked shot-great defensively in 21:07-plays the way a defenseman should)

Posted in NY Rangers | Leave a comment

Video Of Day: Pavel Bure No.10 retired by Canucks

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Derek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNdxbDVfPlQ

In what was a fitting tribute Saturday on Hockey Night In Canada, the Vancouver Canucks finally retired Pavel Bure’s No.10. Easily the franchise’s most talented player, the Russian Rocket was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame last year enshrined with Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin and Adam Oates. He’s still the most breathtaking player I’ve ever seen. In the blink of an eye, Bure could be gone in a flash for one of those electrifying finishes on a breakaway.

The biggest highlight still is his breakaway goal in overtime eliminating Calgary in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. Of course, they made it all the way to Game 7 before falling to the Rangers in a classic series. Bure was remarkable throughout posting 16 goals and 15 assists totaling 31 points in 24 games that postseason. A heroic performance that ranks as one of the greatest to this day.

A former Calder winner, Bure had back-to-back 60-goal seasons in his second and third years eclipsing 100 points during both. In ’93-94 where he finished with 107 (60-47-107) over 76 games, he had 25 power play goals, four shorthanded goals and nine game-winners. Simply remarkable. It’s a shame that he left Vancouver on bad terms following a trade request that sent him to the Panthers in a package that included Ed Jovanovski and Kevin Weekes. The Russian Rocket continued to perform at a high octane level winning consecutive Rocket Richards for the league’s most goals in ’99-00 (58) and ’00-01 (59). His first two full seasons in the sunshine state.

With the Panthers struggling following a first round appearance in 2000, Bure was traded to the Rangers on Mar. 18, 2002. It fulfilled a dream to play in New York City. Ironically for the team that broke his heart. Though his Rangers career only lasted 51 games due to a career ending injury, the Russian Rocket was still great scoring 31 goals and 50 points spanning the ’02 conclusion and ’03. That included a beautiful finish off an Eric Lindros pass on an odd-man rush. His momentum after he scored saw him fly on the ice following a ridiculous one-time blast. If memory serves correctly, I think it might have been his final NHL goal.

It’s still sad to think his career ended so early. A knee injury kept him out the entire ’03-04 season. He re-injured it during a preseason game against the Devils. I’m not going to get into the particulars. It’s still a bitter memory for Ranger fans. I only wish he could have gone out on his own terms. Instead, he announced his retirement in 2005 during the lockout. In only 702 career games, he finished with 437 goals and 342 assists for 779 points. Outstanding production. Five times over a 12-year career, he scored 50-or-more goals. Of the 437, 254 came with the Canucks. How many more could he have scored had he stayed healthy? I have always felt he would have reached 700. I guess we’ll never know. I’m just glad he’s a Hall Of Famer and finally returned to Vancouver on much better terms. It was a great tribute with former coach Pat Quinn and former teammate and close personal friend Gino Odjick, who donned a cool top hat for the special occasion.

One favorite memory will always be his virtuoso five-goal game against Finland for Russia in Torino. The full video featuring some electrifying finishes including his patented forehand deke.

Pavel Bure 5 Goals

 

Posted in Video Of Day | 1 Comment

Callahan returns for Duck hunting

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Derek

Tonight, when the Rangers take on the Ducks at MSG, a familiar face will be back. Ryan Callahan makes his return after missing eight games with a broken thumb. As usual, the gritty leader is back sooner than expected. You can’t keep him down for long. That’s what makes him one of the best captains in the sport. He has a high level of pain threshold.

Getting Callahan back is great. Since returning home, the team is playing better. They’ve won a season high three straight and four of their last five. It’s no coincidence that their play has improved with Carl Hagelin’s return. A hard nosed player similar to the captain, the feisty Swede has two goals and an assist during the win streak. Alain Vigneault boasted about his speed which is a great asset for the high tempo he wants to play. Even better, Vigneault deserves credit for putting together Chris Kreider with Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. The trio have found chemistry coming off their best game- a 5-1 home win over Carolina. They combined for nine points including Stepan’s second career hat trick to snap out of it.

Meanwhile, Hagelin played with Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot recording his fourth career two-goal game. Richards and Pouliot each had assists. Richards has been the team’s best forward so far tied with Stepan for the lead in scoring with 10 points (5-5-10). A sharp contrast from last year when he admittedly wasn’t in the best shape and lacked confidence. With Callahan back, Vigneault could slide him on the top line for Pouliot and move Benoit down to the third line. It should be noted that that line also was effective shutting down Eric and Jordan Staal. It was a make shift line of Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard and J.T. Miller. Boyle has become a coach favorite for his versatility and energy. It’s nice to see him get appreciated. He’s always been a solid citizen. Hopefully, he’ll catch a break and get a goal soon.

I wonder what Vigneault will do for Callahan’s first game back. Does he just start him on the third line and keep the top two lines intact? There’s no reason to mess with success. Maybe he’ll mix and match depending on how the game goes. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t pleased with Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau last time out. During a 6-0 blowout in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 10, Boudreau had his top power play unit out late. New York Post’s Larry Brooks had some interesting tweets which could have significance for the Garden rematch.

I remember at the time thinking that was strange. Granted, it was early in the schedule. Maybe Boudreau wanted to give Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne some work. In his response, he basically suggested that.

He also added that he stuck the fourth line on after 40 seconds. Whatever. It will probable get settled on the ice. The best way to do it is to win. The Ducks have some key guys out including Selanne and Saku Koivu. They haven’t had much success at MSG lately losing three straight including a 2-1 shootout loss two years ago. The Rangers look to get a measure of revenge.

Regarding the lineup, Brooks reported that Miller is a healthy scratch. Supposedly, Vigneault didn’t like his game Saturday. Yet team pet Taylor Pyatt continues to play. Eh. 😛 I don’t get it. Guess that means Callahan either starts third line or flips with Pouliot. The fourth line is probably Pyatt, Derek Dorsett and Brandon Mashinter. I have no problem with that. Especially the energy Dorsett and Mashinter provide. I guess someone will substitute for face-offs. Probably Boyle.

UPDATE: Going off Daily News writer Pat Leonard’s blog , Callahan skated with Richards and Pouliot meaning Hagelin might start on the third line. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Posted in Battle News, NY Rangers | Leave a comment

Olesz waived as Devils continue to flounder

Posted on November 4, 2013 by hasan4978

A day after New Jersey suffered yet another dispiriting loss, this time by a score of 4-0 to Zach Parise‘s Minnesota Wild, the Devils did the equivalent of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic by putting ineffective forward Rostislav Olesz on waivers.  Olesz has a one-year $700k deal (which could be as much as $1 million with games-played bonuses) and GM Lou Lamoriello said he wouldn’t neccesarily be asked to go to Albany if he did clear waivers.  Wonderful, so even when we finally make a move we probably won’t really make a move.  Olesz will likely clear waivers and return, a la Brian Rolston a few years back.  I guess it’s fine to see if you can give away a one-way contract, but I doubt anyone’ll take a shot on Olesz who’s been largely invisible with just two assists in ten games so far.  I don’t even remember those to be honest.

Last night’s game wasn’t even worth watching let alone recapping.  After the football Jets’ terrific win in the afternoon and a dinner out, I admit I preferred watching other Sunday programming for the most part instead of the expected beatdown in Minnesota that materalized.  Especially after the Philly game the night before already sapped almost all of my enthusiasm in the team last week.  In the few minutes I did turn on, it seemed as if Chico Resch and Steve Cangelosi couldn’t stop talking about the Wild and their revitalized hockey culture.  I love Chico, I like Steve and I understand because Chico’s from Minnesota he’s intimately tuned into what’s going on there…but sometimes they talk up the opposition so much it makes my ears bleed.  I’m especially not in the mood for it when our team is dying on the vine and is probably going to give up a top ten pick at this rate due to the henious decision by Lou to not give up the #29 pick two years ago when the team could have put the Ilya Kovalchuk contract penalty fully behind them with a relatively low amount of pain.  If Lou wasn’t Lou, that decision alone would probably be a fireable offense, much like Chicago’s contract snafus which forced their hand earlier than it needed to be with the cap drove Dale Tallon out of Chi-town after he won a Cup there.

Unfortunately that’s what this season’s going to be about now, just how high of a pick are we NOT going to get.  After trading our first-rounder last year for Cory Schnieder and not having a high first-rounder this year, it becomes even more imperative to sign him long-term this offseason.  But with the team being as bad as it’s been, why would a competitor like Schnieder rush to re-sign long-term with a team that’s probably going to miss the playoffs three of the last four seasons?  Without him we’d go back to a severe question mark in goal after Martin Brodeur‘s eventual retirement.  Up front the cupboard’s pretty bare other than OHL record-setting goalscorer Reid Boucher (who has three goals and eight points in 11 games at Albany this year).  Stefan Matteau – who we kept the #29 overall two years ago to draft – has been awful in the AHL this year scoring just one point in ten games with a -3, and is also coming off a contreversial exit in the QMJHL last year after actually starting last season in New Jersey due to our horrendous forward depth.

Defensively the picture looks better, though last night’s suspected concussion that Jon Merrill suffered mere minutes into his NHL debut just threw up another dark cloud in an already gloomy sky.  Merrill’s talented but his college career was bumpy due to injury and suspension.  He did show his talent in eleven games down in Albany with two goals and five assists, which are great numbers for a d-man…but clearly he needs to get used to the daily grind of the NHL before he’s ready.  Fellow rookie Eric Gelinas has tapered off after his first two games, but still looks solid and about ready to be an NHL regular.  Former #4 overall pick Adam Larsson has been one of the few bright spots the last couple of weeks, as his play has picked up.

Still, the d-picture is cloudy at the moment with Bryce Salvador, Peter Harrold and Anton Volchenkov all apparently injured.  Once any or all are ready to return, something’s gotta give.  Even Lou can’t keep putting off decision day forever with either real or feigned injuries, although perhaps part of the reason for wanting to move Olesz is to clear a spot so we can carry eight defensemen again, which would be a disaster if everyone had to rotate again like last year.  It’s amazing how we just have to keep spare parts around on a team that’s been awful over the last fifty games.  I just can’t wait to see how dead the building’s going to be for a Sunday night game against Nashville if we get whipped in Philly and Toronto later this week.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jon Merrill making debut for Devils

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Derek

What was billed as Zach Parise’s first game against his former team has become secondary for the Devils. As I’m sure Hasan will post later, tonight Jon Merrill makes his NHL debut for the Devs when they take on the Wild. The 2010 second round pick out of Michigan is in his first full pro season. After tallying a goal and seven assists in 12 games last year for Albany, he’s followed up with two goals and five assists in 11 in the AHL.

For the 21-year old who spent parts of three years with the University Of Michigan before turning pro, it’s a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. Merrill gets the opportunity following an emergency recall with veteran defenseman Anton Volchenkov out due to an upper body injury. He’ll be wearing number 34 and be paired alongside Marek Zidlicky.

The Devils remain minus Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias. They’re also still without captain Bryce Salvador, who’s on the injured reserve with a stress fracture. Eric Gelinas has remained with the club registering a goal and assist in four games. Already for New Jersey, the future is now with two of their D prospects up on a revamped blueline. At least for now, Devil fans will get to see what all the hype’s about with Merrill, who went down after a strong camp.

They’ll take on a good team. The Wild are 7-4-3 with 17 points in the West. Remarkably, that’s not even good enough to rank in the top eight with the Kings eighth just ahead. Most of their success has come at home where they have a great crowd. So far, they’re 5-1-2 at Excel Energy Center. They don’t give up much thanks to a stingy D led by Ryan Suter and goalie tandem Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding with the latter getting the start against Cory Schneider. As for Parise, he’s tied with Jason Pominville for the team lead with 10 points (6-4-10). It’ll be interesting to see how he performs against his former team.

But the story at least for Hasan and other Devils Army is the debut of Merrill. Will he impress early like Gelinas? Let’s find out.

Posted in Battle News, Devils | 2 Comments

Video Of Day: Derek Stepan’s 2nd career hat trick

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Derek

Today’s Video Of Day features Derek Stepan’s second career hat trick from last night. The Rangers top center finally caught some luck ending a 12-game goal drought in style by recording three goals in the team’s 5-1 win over the Hurricanes at MSG. Let’s take a look back at a memorable night for D-Step.

The first goal came on the power play. Stepan was beneficiary of some strong second effort from linemates Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider in front. They freed up the puck for Stepan, who buried it for his first allowing him to finally exhale.

Goal two was by far the prettiest. It was the product of a dominant shift from the trio. A Kreider check allowed him to win the puck along the boards pushing it down for Zuccarello. Zuke made a beautiful no look backhand feed from behind the net to a wide open Stepan for a gimme. The pass by Zuccarello was magnificent and proves why he’s valuable. If you stick him on a good line, his skill makes a difference. Zuke also competes every shift. It’s nice to see him respond to Alain Vigneault’s benching. He, Stepan and Kreider have great chemistry.

Goal three was good fortune for a player who deserved it. Stepan has taken it on the chin following his predictable slow start following a lengthy holdout that cost him the entire preseason. He still led the team in assists (7) before the goal barrage. Kreider moved the puck across to Zuccarello, who fed a cutting Stepan in the slot. He let go of a shot that took a nice hop off Andrej Sekera past Justin Peters for the hat trick. The second of his career and first since a memorable rookie debut on Oct. 9, 2010 against the Sabres. Ironically, Sean Avery set up Stepan with a great backhand feed for that hat in Buffalo. Hard to believe three years later Avery’s retired. He was a good Ranger. A shame. Still love seeing Step’s Mom and sister’s reaction. Awesome!

”Goals on the power play, that’s going to help a power play,” Stepan said last night. ”We’ve certainly simplified things. Our power-play goal was a play out of the corner. Mac takes a slapper, and a mad scramble in front. If you look around the league, that’s how the power-play goals are being scored.”

”My two linemates have created pretty good looks for me, and I wasn’t able to find the back of the net. ‘Tonight they continued to do it, and I was fortunate enough to find the net a couple times, so that’s good.”

Posted in NY Rangers, Video Of Day | Leave a comment